Journey
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
C9
VISTAS
Continued from Page C8
the beaters make ripples and
folds.
I could imagine a Dr. Seuss
character such as the Lorax,
Sam-I-Am or Horton the Ele-
phant sauntering into the scene.
Cartoonish and stunningly
beautiful.
We learned that the bands
of color represent changes in
climate in the last 32-35 mil-
lion years. The red strata came
from more tropical times, and
the yellows indicate a drier and
cooler climate. Black streaks
and stains indicated manga-
nese, likely left by plants. The
colors intensify during rain-
storms.
We pulled out our cameras
and stayed absorbed in photo-
graphing the scene as we slow-
ly walked the half mile Painted
Hills Overlook Trail out and
back. We passed knots of other
gawkers who seemed mesmer-
ized by the view. Judging by
the accents, many were foreign.
A large group from India was
visiting this day.
The superintendent of the
John Day Fossil Beds Nation-
al Monument (which contains
the Painted Hills and is admin-
istered by the National Park
Service) said tourist numbers
jumped at the Painted Hills
after Travel Oregon in 2013
named the site as one of the
Seven Wonders of Oregon.
“Visitation has gone up sig-
niicantly since then,” said Su-
perintendent Shelley Hall.
She said the number of visi-
tors rose from 45,849 people to
74,873 in 2015. Hall attributed
some of the spike to mild win-
ters and the low price of gas,
but suspects that the Travel Or-
egon designation spurred much
of the gain. She has noticed a
deinite increase in both domes-
tic and foreign visitors.
The superintendent said in-
creased visitor trafic has cre-
ated challenges at the national
monument. Her staff worries
more about the fragile envi-
ronment, but acknowledged
that people are generally pretty
respectful. It’s really the little
things that cause extra angst,
she said. The toilet paper in
the visitor center bathroom, for
example, now must be resup-
plied multiple times each day,
whereas before once every day
or two was enough. Visitors can
remain happily oblivious to the
logistics and the extra expense,
though — they get to gaze at
the magniicent scene free of
The Painted Hills have colorful layers of stratification
that correspond to different geological periods.
EO Media Group photos/Kathy Aney
Lindsay Chiono strolls a short boardwalk that is part of the Painted Cove Trail
in the Painted Hills Unit near Mitchell.
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows as
Kathy Aney and Lindsay Chiono get a close-up
look at the colorful multi-layered rock as they
follow a boardwalk trail.
A tourist sits on a bench and gazes at the Painted Hills in Central Oregon.
charge. They must merely heed
signs that instruct hikers to stick
to the trail and not put pressure
on the delicate ecosystem.
Lindsay and I hiked up the
1.6-mile Carroll Rim Trail,
navigating a series of switch-
backs to a high place where we
got a panoramic view of the
Painted Hills, Sutton Mountain
and a large swath of the area.
We weren’t alone, but I didn’t
really care. I felt strangely
bonded with all these other vis-
itors in our appreciation of this
jewel of Oregon.
Our last micro hike was
the Painted Cove Trail, a quar-
ter-mile loop that allows walk-
ers to get close enough to eye-
ball the pockmarked surface of
the colorful rock. Two other
short hikes include the Leaf
Hill Trail, the site of paleonto-
logical research, and the Red
Scar Knoll Trail, an out-and-
back trek to a multi-colored
knoll.
As we drove back to our
camp site to sip wine and listen
to stories of bass, I marinated
in our recent adventure. Yes, I
thought, the Painted Hills had
lived up to their billing.
Do you have an
upcoming event?
Rent the Canyon City
Community Hall for
birthdays, wedding
receptions or family
get-togethers!
For more information, call City Hall at
541-575-0509
Log Cabin
• Coffee • Hot Drinks
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100 E Main at stoplight, John Day • 541-792-0425
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Open Mon - Fri 6:30-5 • Sat 8-2
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Drive up window at John Day Polaris
821 W Hwy., 26 • 541-575-5778
Burnt River
Spectacular Gift Shop
• Area Information
• Family Museum
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• Saddle Pads
• Team Roping Ropes
• Roping Gloves
ROUND BARN VISITOR CENTER
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51955 Lava Bed Rd. • Diamond, OR
888-493-2420
Cafe with full menu
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Mon - Sat 7am -7pm • Sun 8am -6pm
M ARIA ’ S
Traditional
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101 S Canyon City Blvd., Canyon City
541-575-0362
Come get a
glimpse of
Canyon City’s past
at the Grant
County Historical
Museum
Y OU
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Open Tue - Sat
Noon to 9 p.m.
295 S C ANYON C ITY B LVD .,
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Phone: 541-575-0782 • Order online at subway.com
• Charming
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• Free Secure Wi-Fi
• Cable TV
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• Beer and Wine Bar
• Tesla and Universal
Charging Stations
112 Front St. f Prairie City f 541-820-4800
www.hotelprairie.com f hotelprairie@ortelco.net
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